FCC: Web speed half of what is promised

If you're expecting the speed of a web download on your laptop to be anywhere near what your phone or cable company advertised, you better start lowering those expectations. The Federal Communications Commission is saying that consumers are getting way less than promised in download speeds.

A new FCC study is reporting dramatic differences between the "up to" figures touted by phone and cable companies in promoting their web connections and the speeds consumers actually get. According to the FCC, the differences exist, no matter how consumers get their broadband.

"Actual download speeds experienced by U.S. consumers lag advertised speed by roughly 50%," according to an FCC technical report released this week.